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Monday, May 24, 2010

I’ve been reminiscing lately about a school project I did back in school. Every team had to take on a real life project offered by local business in order to graduate. The projects ranged from website building to consultation services. My team bided on several but our program head deemed they were too easy for our skill set. He assigned us the project no one requested. The owner wanted to market her products online to international markets. It was quite challenging but I’m proud to say that my team got the the top mark in our program!

The gallery was founded by its owner Patrica Rivard in 1987. It is named after her Great Great Grandfather, Chief Wickaninnish, who as a powerful chief of Nuu-chah-nulth in the late 1700s.

Wickaninnish Gallery is a unique gallery & gift shop that offers a wide selection high quality art and jewellery created by Northwest Coast First Nation artists.

They have beautiful jewellery crafted from sterling silver or gold. The necklace pictured was tagged in the company's profile on the Aboriginal Tourism Association of BC website. I wish I could show you more. If you are ever in BC near Granville Island, I urge you to go and take a look.

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About Me

Cindy Y. Ho was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada . During her childhood to early adulthood she enjoyed folding origami and honed her folding skills. As time past, she developed past the stage of the traditional crane to complex models such as modular models, flowers, butterflies and dragons that she enjoyed giving away as gifts. However, as she entered the post secondary stage of her educational life, her focus shifted from her hobby to studying and preparing herself for the workforce. Her origami papers and books soon collected dust.

After graduating with honours from British Columbia's Institute of Technology (BCIT) in 1999, she excelled as a Buyer and Materials Planner in the demanding industry of electronics contract manufacturing. In 2006, she and her husband were blessed with their first child. A few months into her maternity leave, she found her dusty papers and books and revived her long lost passion - origami. After reminiscing her friend's wonderment when they received an origami gift, she felt that other people would enjoy them as well. Her entrepreneurial spirit was stirred and taught herself to build a simple website and started an online store, West Coast Origami devoted to origami gifts and crafts. After returning to the workforce, Cindy continued to practice origami and experimented with new papers. She proudly showcased her work on flickr and Facebook.

In 2009, her family were blessed with their second child. During her maternity leave, Cindy upgraded her web design skills and upgraded her online store. She expanded West Coast Origami with Etsy , an online marketplace devoted to handmade products.